Electric heater



E. N. LIGHTFOOT.

ELECTRIC HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED mm]. 1920.

1,378,247. Patented May 17,1921.

BY 233 5 rmy,

ATTORNEY PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES EDWIN 1v. menrroom, on NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THECUTLER-HAMMER MFG. 00., or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION orWISCONSIN ELECTRIC HEATER.

Application filed January 31, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDwIN N. LroH'rrooT, a citizen of the UnitedStates,,rcsiding at New York, in the county of Bronx and State of NewYork, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Heaters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric heaters.

It relates more particularly to portable radiant electric heaters havingreflectors in which the resistor is mounted.

The resistor or resistance wire of such heaters is usually carried by aninsulating tube or core of porcelain or other high heat resistingmaterial. These tubes or cores are very fragile. The portable radiantheaters in which such resistor carrying tubes are mounted are subjectedto considerable rough handling, and it becomes important therefore to somount the resistor carrying tubes that they may not be readily broken bythis rough handling.

Usually the resistor carrying tubes are mounted rigidly in thereflectors. The mechanical jarring and vibrations due to the roughhandling of the heaters is communicated to the rigidly mounted tubes andfre quent cracking and breaking thereof results.

Unequal expansion and contraction of the rigid mounts by which theresistor carrying tubes are usually attached to the reflectors alsocauses cracking and breaking of the tubes.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means forso mounting the resistor carrying tubes in the reflectors that thecracking and breaking of the tubes will be either entirely or to a greatextent prevented.

In accordance with this invention the resistor carrying tubes aremounted in the reflectors by means of resilient attachers the ends ofwhich may be attached to opposite faces of the reflectors therebysuspending the resistor carrying tube in spaced relation to the surfaceof the reflector.

These resilient attachers may take the form of helical springs withmeans for attaching the springs of the tubes to the reflectors. Themechanical jarring and vibrations of the reflector which wouldordinarily be communicated to the resistor carrying tube Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented May 17, 1921.

Serial No. 355,340.

is largely absorbed or dissipated in the sprnig attachers. Since neitherend of the resis or carrying tu e is ri idl su ort the tube will not beatfected by uneglihl e ii pansion and contraction of the spring by whichit is supported in the reflectors. F urthermore, the tubes will not beaifected by such mechanical jarring and vibrations as may becommunicated to them.

\Vhile such springs are particularly useful 1n mounting resistorcarrying tubes in reflectors, it will be evident that they may beemployed for mounting resistor supports elsewhere. The resistor supportmay also take a form other than a core or tube.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the followingspecification and claims.

An embodiment of this invention is illus trated 1n the accompanyingdrawin s in which- D Figure 1 is a front elevation of a resistorcarrying tube mounted in the reflector of a radiant heater;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of the spring attacher for mountlng the resistorcarrying tube in the reflector; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View through the reflector of anotherform of radiant heater.

Figs. 1 and 2 will first be described.

The illustrated radiant heater comprises 1n general a reflector 5supported on a base t3 and having suspended therein an insulatmg tube 7of porcelain or other high heat res sting material upon which is wound aresistor or resistance wire 8.

lhe tube 7 is suspended in the reflector by means of helical springs 9,each having a hook 10 formed at each end thereof. These hooks engageeyelets formed in the ends of bolts 11 extendin through apertures in thetop and bottom of the reflector. These bolts 11 are preferably suitablyinsulated from the reflector.

Each spring 9 comprises three coil sections which may be formed from asingle wire. The coils of the upper and lower coil sections 12 and 14are formed about the same axis and comprise the resilient portions ofthe attacher. The coils of the intermediate coil section 13 are formedabout an axis at right angles to that of the other coils. The coils ofthis intermediate coil section 13 engage grooves provided in theperiphery, and near the ends, of the tube 7.

The ends of the resistor 8 may be connected with conductors 16 and 17leading to a source of current from which the resistor is heated.

Fig. 4: shows a portion of a radiant heater, the reflector 20 of whichis suitably held in a horizontal position by an attaching rod orstandard 21. An insulating core 22 upon which is wound a resistor 23 issuspended from the reflector 20 by means of helical springs 24:. Thesesprings 24 are similar to1 springs 9, but comprise only two instead ofthree coil sections. The lower coil sections engage the resistorcarrying core 22, while the upper coil sections resiliently attach theresistor carrying core to the reflector.

Due to the resiliency of the helical springs by which the core ispositioned in the reflector these springs absorb a part of any jarringto which the reflector and its supporting base may be subjected. If oneend of the core shifts its position the other end will immediatelyadjust itself, thereby preventing cracking or breaking of the core.

The helical springs form resilient suspension members which conduct aminimum of heat from the resistor carrying cores to the reflectors.

Obviously other structures may be devised which will embody theinvention herein set forth. The drawings and description are, therefore,to be considered in an illustrative sense and not a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. An electric heater comprising an insulating tube, a resistor carriedthereby, a support, and a helical spring connected with the support andhaving means to engage the insulating tube.

2. An electric heater comprising an insulating tube, a resistor carriedthereby, a reflector and means including helical springs for positioningthe insulating tube in the reflector.

3. An electric heater comprising a reflector, an insulating tube, aresistor car ried thereby, a pair of helical springs each having itsends attached to opposite faces of the reflector, and means forconnecting the ends of the insulating tube with the helical springsintermediate the ends thereof.

4,. An electric heater comprising a reflector, an insulating tube, aresistor carried thereby, a pair of helical springs each having its endsattached to opposite faces of the reflector. and means formed integrallywith the helical springs for connecting the ends of the insulating tubetherewith at points intermediate the ends of the springs.

An electric heater comprising a reflector, an insulating tube. aresistor carried thereby, a pair of helical springs each having its endsattached to opposite faces of the reflector, and means formed integrallywith and intermediate the ends of the springs for connecting the ends ofthe insulating tube therewith.

6. An electric heater comprising a re' fiector, an insulating tube, aresistor carried thereby, a pair of helical springs each having its endsconnected with opposite faces of the reflector and each spring havingtwo sets of resilient coils formed about one axis and other coils formedintermediate the two sets and about an axis at right angles to the axisof the two sets, said other coils engaging the ends of the insulatingtube.

7. An electric heater comprising a reflector, a pair of helical springs,each hav ing its ends attached to opposite faces of the reflector andeach having two sets of resilient coils formed about one axis and othercoils formed intermediate the two sets about an axis at right angles tothe axis of the two sets, and a resistor carrying tube engaged by theintermediate coils whereby the tube is resiliently suspended in thereflector.

8. An electric heater comprising a reflector, a pair of helical springs,each having its ends attached to opposite faces of the reflector, eachspring including a set of resilient coils, and other coils formed aboutan axis at an angle to the axis of the resilient coils, and a resistorcarrying tube engaged by the other coils of each spring.

9. An electric heater compris 1g an in.- sulating tube, a resistorcarried thereby, a support, and resilient means for attaching theresistor carrying insulating tube to the support.

10. An electric heater comprising an insulating member, a resistorcarried thereby, a support, and resilient means for attaching theresistor carrying insulating member to the support.

11. An electric heater comprising a reflector, a pair of helicalsprings, each having its ends attached to opposite faces of thereflector, each spring including a set of resilient coils, and othercoils formed about resistor is wound, a reflector, and a plurality ofhelical springs engaging the resistor carrying core and the reflectorwhereby the resistor carrying core is resiliently attached to thereflector.

16. An electric heater comprising a resistor, an insulating support uponwhich the resistor is mounted, a reflector, and a plurality of helicalsprings engaging the insulating support and the reflector whereby theresistor carrying support is resiliently suspended from the reflector.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

EDWIN N. LIGHTFOOT.

